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Church With a Southern Accent

6:50 AM This morning I attended the 11 AM worship service at Harrisburg Baptist Church in Tupelo. The church is located on the SW edge of the city, right off the Natchez Trace exit. It's a large Southern Baptist Church, occupying a brand-new complex of buildings featuring a colonial-style sanctuary with massive white columns. This morning Dr. Forrest Sheffield, the senior pastor, preached a fine gospel message in preparation for the Lord's Supper. The tone of the service seemed worshipful and friendly. After communion the pastor extended a brief public invitation, calling people forward to make decisions for Christ while we sang "At the Cross." A young girl came forward for baptism and a couple in their 30s came forward to join the church. The pastor gave them a warm introduction to the church and asked the congregation to come by and welcome them to the church. The service ended with the congregation joining hands to sing the final verse of "Amazing Grace." Since I had a few minutes, I decided to stand in line and welcome the new people to the church. Though the church is hundreds of miles from Moody Church, Calvary and the EV Free church of Arlington Heights, the message is the same. That's one of the great things about being part of the family of God. You have brothers and sisters in Christ wherever you go.

6:50 PM Go White Sox!

6:48 PM 2090 miles. So far I've ridden the country roads between here and Mantachie, the Natchez Trace toward Tupelo, and this afternoon I rode along Highway 363. Not much traffic on Sunday afternoon. The temperature has dropped quite a bit in the last two days, from the mid-70s to the lower 50s. It's no problem because I've got a ton of cold weather biking gear from my years riding through the Chicago winters.